Bill Skarsgård • The Crow • Eric Draven • Rupert Sanders • Brandon Lee • FKA twigs • James O’Barr

The Crow, an upcoming anti-superhero film, will premiere in theaters on June 7. The first trailer for the film has finally been released. Bill Skarsgård, who plays Pennywise in the It films, stars as Eric Draven, also known as The Crow, in this adaptation of James O’Barr’s graphic novel.

British singer, musician, and dancer FKA Twigs plays Draven’s love Shelley, and the teaser reveals her brutal death as the catalyst for Draven’s talents to emerge.

The undead vigilante takes bullet after gunshot in the trailer, yet he never backs down from his vengeful objective. An exploding cranium and copious amounts of blood characterize this macabre spectacle.

Synopsis

The official synopsis is as follows: When the demons from her dark history resurface, they brutally kill soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs). With the opportunity to save his beloved by giving his life, Eric embarks on a relentless quest for vengeance against their assassins, journeying across both the living and the dead realms in an effort to make things right.

In conjunction with the trailer’s release, Skarsgård sent a message to the press:

As a child, I devoured the original film and felt incredibly privileged to play Eric Draven. However, Rupert Sanders’s plans for it were the main attraction for me. He had grand visions of remaking the plot and the character to appeal to a younger generation. I’ve never played a role like this before, and I know a lot of people really relate to and like the character. It was a dream come true to collaborate with the extraordinarily gifted FKA Twigs. I was deeply committed to honoring Eric’s tale and remained faithful to the original script. I’m excited for the film’s release and hope it strikes a chord with viewers just like it did with us.

The Crow

Rupert Sanders, the film’s director, has stated that the new The Crow “goes back” to the graphic novel by O’Barr. The Crow, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Bruce Lee’s son Brandon, is a cult classic that came out 30 years ago.

“That film ignited a passion among the youth of that era, a generation that consumed MTV and zines in its entirety, and grew up listening to hard, alternative, punk, and metal,” Sanders added. All the way down to the stylized and twisted sets, the chain-wielding villains, the leather-clad hero, and the rain-soaked streets, the film reflected that generation’s image. Its unique musical perspective allowed it to connect with a younger demographic that had never been reached before. A cult masterpiece it became.

This generation’s preferences and references have changed so radically from the original picture, and our understanding of James’ work reflects that. We can only hope that it reaches them where they are musically and stylistically, and that it introduces them to the films of Alex Proyas and the graphic novels of James O’Barr, thus expanding the audience for these works.